


Bruised Scales

by Fishpaste



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Gen, Logic | Logan Sanders Angst, actions have consequences, bruised scales au, patton feels guilty, set after SvsS
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-21
Updated: 2020-05-21
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:35:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,525
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24296698
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fishpaste/pseuds/Fishpaste
Summary: When one side injures another, they aren’t allowed to forget it. Logan’s treatment by Janus and Patton has some...lasting effects.
Relationships: Anxiety | Virgil & Creativity | Roman & Deceit & Logic | Logan & Morality | Patton & Thomas Sanders
Comments: 16
Kudos: 195





	Bruised Scales

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Shay_Nioum](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shay_Nioum/gifts).



The days after the Wedding were tense and awful for everyone. Usually Patton was the one to help everyone with the emotional fallout over something like this. Now he just felt useless, as though anything he touched would just go wrong in some terrible unmanageable manner. How many times could he mess up and be forgiven? Roman’s exhausted and dispirited eyes told him he still had a lot more apologising to do, Virgil’s nervous fidgeting was a constant reminder that everyone was still hurting and he didn’t know how to fix it; Janus’ quiet presence around was proof that Thomas was changing and growing and Patton was somehow holding him back and Logan...Logan was still wearing a black turtleneck. He hadn’t once mentioned that Patton had skipped him, hadn’t even bothered to protest what had happened after his final biting message in the video. And Patton had a sinking suspicion that Janus wouldn’t have been able to take Logan like that if he hadn’t skipped him. It made sense didn’t it? Patton had denied the truth and that had brought Janus into the video.

He put the pancakes carefully on the plate and drizzled sauce over them, trying to make it look like a star. Emotions might be high at the moment and Patton might feel that everything he touched would fall apart, but he was still Morality, still the Heart of them all; he had to keep trying, had to keep trying to make everyone else happy. Then maybe he would feel happy again too.

Pancakes in hand he climbed the stairs up to Logan’s room, forcing a smile on his face. He knocked at the Logical side’s door and heard a sleepy ‘come in’. It was a little early he supposed but it did seem Logan was awake! Slightly more optimistic he nudged the door open and stepped into the room. Pale blue walls painted with stars, a large well organised desk and bookshelves whose books were different each time you looked at them. 

Logan was sitting at his desk, chin propped up on his hand as he typed one handedly on the computer. Several empty cups of coffee were scattered around and Patton could see his bed tucked in the corner with it’s sheets rumpled and strewn about. It seemed that Logan had had a disturbed night and decided to work through it.

“Patton? What do you require?”

“Logan! I brought breakfast! I know you haven’t been eating enough so I figured I’d bring it to you!”

“I’m...not hungry.” Logan’s voice lacked inflection, still looking at his work rather than anything else.

“Awww, c’mon Kiddo! Everyone needs to eat.”

“Technically we’re just figments of the imagination, we don’t need to-”

“Logan, you can’t keep hiding up here. You’ve barely come out of your room in a week. Here, I made your favourites!”

Logan still wasn’t looking at him. He wasn’t wearing his new turtleneck now either, and it was a relief for Patton to see him in his usual shirt and necktie. The moral side stepped closer, were there still bruises on Logan’s neck? His stomach twisted, this was his fault. Still his fault. He’d skipped Logan, he’d ignored logic and facts just because he didn’t like them and Logan had got hurt in the process. Suddenly that rush of positive energy he’d felt that had buoyed him up enough to try and reconnect with Logan fled, leaving Patton feeling exhausted and guilty. Why did he keep messing up? He put the plate of pancakes on the desk and turned to leave, at least he would have got Logan some food. Perhaps it was better simply to remove his presence, Logan would come down when he was ready.

Then something caught his eye and he turned back, curious. Logan still hadn’t even looked up at him, focusing on whatever he was typing and stifling a yawn. The bruises looked...different. Patton had seen plenty of bruises in his life, from the ‘real’ ones on Thomas to the myriad of bruises Roman would end up with on his frequent adventures or whenever Thomas’ ego got badly knocked about. Logan’s bruises had already lasted longer than expected, but now they looked odd. A neat line, no smudging or fading, the colour was a dark blue with a grey undertone and there was the faintest sheen to it. Patton had never seen bruises like it...he leaned forward, trying to make out what was going on and Logan seemed to become aware of what Patton was looking at.

In less than a second he had sprung up, trying futily to clever the marks while he stood up, reaching for the turtleneck slung over the back of the chair. He looked almost panicked, and slightly...ashamed?

“Logan? What is that?”

“It’s nothing Patton, just forget about it.” He tugged the turtleneck on, covering the marks up.

“That’s not nothing! Lo, why do you have scales around your neck!”

“I don’t-”

“I’m moral Logan, not blind. Please?”

“Patton…” Logan sighed, reaching up to adjust his glasses and not meeting Patton’s eyes. The pancakes sat between them, slowly cooling. “You don’t need to know, you don’t want to know.”

“I do need to know Logan, if something’s hurting you I need to know about it.” Patton kept his voice soft and gentle, as though he were dealing with a frightened animal. The worry was making his throat tight with apprehension and his hands were trembling slightly but he did his best to conceal it, if Logan got too overwhelmed he might vanish off somewhere and Patton definitely didn’t want that. What was going on and why hadn;t he noticed it before?

“They don’t hurt.”

“So they are scales then.”

Logan didn’t deny it and Patton took that as admittance.

“Lo, what happened? Did Janus do something?” Janus was a light side now, and Thomas had accepted him and Patton knew he only had Thomas’ best interests in mind, but it was still all too easy to suspect him, especially of something like this! Logan barked a tired laugh, shoulders slumping as he accepted the fact that he couldn’t hide this anymore.

“In a way, but it wasn’t his fault. Not really.”

“Then...who’s fault was it?”

“You want to know?” Logan looked up at Patton for the first time in this conversation and Patton felt his heart sink at just how dead Logan’s eyes looked, exhausted and empty and just devoid of the warmth and intelligence and life that used to fill them.

“Yes. I need to know, I need to know so I can help you!”

“You did it Patton.”

“What?”

“You did it.” Logan was speaking a little faster now, as though he was saying words he’d been wanting to say for a while and had been keeping walled up away from everyone. “You skipped my points, my comments, my contribution. You wouldn’t let me help Thomas just because it wasn’t suiting your own agenda, and that let Janus come in.”

“But-”

“And Janus hooked me around my neck!” Logan’s fists were clenched as he stared straight at Patton, but his expression looked oddly...resigned? “Janus hooked me around my neck and it bruised. But after a couple of days the bruises turned into scales and all my research suggests it’s permanent. So it seems we have another ‘evil slimy boy’ in our midst. Because when one of us deliberately harms another, we aren’t allowed to forget it.”

“I didn’t harm you, that was Janus!”

“Janus wasn’t trying to harm me though, he just wanted to move me out of the way. You were the one who harmed me Patton. You went out of your way to not only ignore, but physically prevent me from speaking.” Logan gave a bitter laugh, “Possibly the scales are more a collar to remind me not to speak than bruises caused by Janus’ unorthodox maneuver.”

“I...I did this?”

“Yes Patton. Sometimes actions have consequences. Even if you didn’t mean them too.” Logan’s anger and energy drained away and he sat back in his chair. “Don’t bother with the apologies. I’m well aware you didn’t intend this to happen. But the fact is that you did intend to physically force me to shut up.”

“Logan, I…”

“I said don’t apologise Patton. There’s no point.”

“I…”

“Thank you for the breakfast, I’m sure it will taste good. Now if you don;t mind I have work to do.”

With that Patton found himself being firmly pushed out of Logan’s room until he was staring at a closed door. He raised a hand to knock, desperate to make everything alright again but then froze. His earlier words to Thomas were echoing in his mind, just how many times could he mess up and still be forgiven? Sometimes actions had consequences, he knew that, he did! He just...he’d been so desperate to try and protect Thomas he hadn;t even...he’d hurt Logan...he’d...he’d…

Patton slumped to his knees, a sob welling up in his throat. He just wanted everyone to be happy, he just wanted...he just...


End file.
